Colonial Office Unaware of Any Deadlock with the Arab Delegation

May 14, 1930

London (May. 13)

The Colonial Office is unaware of any deadlock created in the negotiations with the Arab delegation here as was announced last night in a statement issued by the delegation, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency was informed today.

At the Colonial Office it was pointed out that the Colonial Secretary had made it quite clear at the very outset to the Arab delegation that only questions within the terms of the Mandate could be discussed and that any proposals outside of the Mandate would be impossible.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency was further informed that the delegation had had ample opportunity to elucidate the Arab point of view in discussing general questions affecting the Palestine Arabs and that their conversations have now been finished. The Colonial Office points out that if the Arab delegation refers to a deadlock it simply means that the proposals it put forward have gone outside the terms of the Mandate and therefore could not be considered.

On the other hand the Colonial Office declined to either confirm or deny the statement of the delegation that the government had declared that it would shortly introduce certain constitutional changes in Palestine that would fall short of the Arabs’ demands.